Snippets from our August 2013 Issue

Here is a selection of the articles that you can find in our 1st August 2013 Issue, No 24.

An Interview with Rowanberry Designs

We love your beautiful creations but tell us a bit about the lady
behind them.
I’m Claire and I live in Staffordshire with my lovely husband Tony and my fantastic (and very demanding) cats, aka “Fur kids”. I'm lucky enough to be a full time glass artist and jewellery designer.  I'm currently living in a built up area at the moment but I am country girl at heart, being brought up in Kent, then onto live in Wales before I came to Staffordshire. I love getting out and about in the UK and ‘experiencing’ and connecting to the landscape. It may be hard doing this living in an urban setting, but we are at least very lucky to live only a short trip from the Peak District, Cheshire and North Wales, so we try to get ‘out there’ as much as we practically can. I'm also a Pagan and environmentalist and this is central to my creativity as well as my everyday life. My spirituality, pantheist beliefs, and love of nature and the earth play a big part in my inspiration.

Have you always been creative or did your talent evolve over time?
I've always been involved with arts and crafts, and as a child I was always drawing pictures or doing something creative. This carried on through my whole education and after school I went on to study Fine Arts along with English at university.
   
I became a full time jewellery designer 10 years ago, including designing jewellery for a high street store for a while. I got into making glass beads in 2006 so I could use them in my handmade jewellery, however the love for making them overtook my life so I just focused on glass and that is when Rowanberry Glass Art was born. In the past 2 years my love for making jewellery has been rekindled, this time using etched copper and metal clays, so I changed my name to Rowanberry Designs to reflect this new direction. My style has always been pretty much the same whatever medium I have worked with, mixing a love for nature with a love for figurative detail. My biggest change in my creativity was the change from making glass beads purely for people to make jewellery with towards making a bead as a collectable piece of art as itself. Now I approach each bead as if it was a wearable painting or sculpture.

To read the full interview you can purchase our August 2013 Issue here

ThrasionTM - Carved Couture

Ever since the late 80's I have been saving our skateboard decks. Being a skater I know that a skateboard is not just a toy, it holds history and a huge amount of meaning to a skater from the start of the relationship until it breaks. The beauty of my jewellery and accessories is in the thrashed state of the board as every scratch or ding is important.

I am currently supplied with our skateboard decks from skateshops, skateparks, skate companies, pro skaters and friends and family. I only use broken or used skateboards and where the board has come from is part of each product. The decks and wheels are used in their original state and apart from being cut, sanded and finished materials and waste is kept to a minimum.




To read the full article you can purchase our August 2013 Issue here

Gone Fishing!

We often hear people say it when they want to get away from it all. To sit quietly by a riverbank, flask of coffee by your side, sandwiches, crisps and maggots at hand.  Birds singing their sweet songs and dragonflies, dipping and diving across the surface of the water, bliss!
Well, just recently, I have taken up a bit of fishing too.  Not quite the fishing as described above but certainly a kind of fishing.
Lamp work Fishing!
So here I will tell you about a typical lamp work fish production session in The Bead Bounty studio.


To read the full article you can purchase our August 2013 Issue here 

An Interview with Styles of Sonia

Add a little eastern promise to your life with the beautiful creations of Sonia Subash from Styles of Sonia.
Creating from her home in Malaysia Sonia hopes to make the entire world sparkle just that little bit more.
Tell us about yourself Sonia.
I am a proud mother of two boys; one aged thirteen and the second, just about four months old. I have been addicted to making jewelry since a couple of years ago. And it has allowed me to work from home. I am also pursuing a business degree so needless to say, my hands are certainly full and I love it!     

To read the full interview you can purchase our August 2013 Issue here



 







 





   

All Buttoned Up

All Buttoned Up

Published In Issue 23, June 2013

Written by Sally from The Bead Bounty

www.thebeadbounty.weebly.com

As a Lamp work bead artist, I like to keep my product innovative and fresh and was recently giving a lot of thought to new designs and products.

I was chatting with ‘Creative Crafting’ editor Anna one day and she suggested ‘Buttons’. I wasn’t sure at first because there was more to them than just using a mandrel (the metal rod you use to wind beads).  This was going to take some thinking about. Well, I did think about it and after only a couple of attempts came up with the best way of doing them.

Who would have guessed that Glass Bead making would lead me into the wonderful world of Buttons? I never would have, not in a million years, but now, glass buttons have me hooked. Oh, was I excited! These buttons were going to be one off original works of wearable art that would finish off the best of handcrafted projects. I started with some simple domed buttons with raised flower patterns.  I did these in pairs and although they were similar, they were in fact quite different from each other.

I then moved on to multi-layered buttons, some with encased flowers and some with raised flower design.

Delving further still, I made some open petal flowers, making the flower itself the button.

Last but not least and these have me, hook, line and sinker, I started to make ‘Fish’.

Fun and Funky Fish buttons, with a character all of their own. Each one has a name and the quirkiest face you have ever seen.

So I will continue on my quest to come up with interesting and varied button designs to delight my customers with and hope you have enjoyed seeing some of them too.

We know that there are many, many button lovers out there. Why not pop along to see Sally, she can create something ‘Especially for you!’

www.thebeadbounty.weebly.com

All in a days work!

All in a days work!

Published in Issue 22, April 2013

Written by Sally-Jo from The Bead Bounty

http://thebeadbounty.weebly.com

 

I must be flippin’ dead by now!

It was October 2012 when our son introduced us to the lovely Josephine, a nurse in the intensive care unit at our local hospital.
They had just met on a night out in town and had started talking because of Chris’s Dread Locks. Sarah, Josey’s sister, had Dreads too and they are apparently a great conversation starter.
Two weeks later, Chris and Josey announced that they were getting married.
Now most parents would panic, freak-out, give all manner of advice about the pit falls of rushing in (I think there could be a song in there).
But…
The very same thing had happened with my husband Ian and me in 1984.
We had the added bonus of Ian being 17 at the time and I was 22 (our poor parents).
Chris and Josey are late twenties and we figured that if we were still happily married with our 28th anniversary approaching on the 6th of April 2013, then surely they had as much chance of making a go of it as anyone.
And so the planning began.  The date, 23rd of February 2013 was agreed and it was all systems go.
Josey found a stunning fish tail dress with panels encrusted with crystals, just gorgeous. She wanted to go with a ‘Peacock’ theme for the wedding and have her bridesmaids in shades of green.
Josey very kindly asked me to make some of the bits and pieces for the wedding, which I was more than happy to do.  She would like jewellery and bouquets for her 

and the bridesmaids and Buttonholes for the wedding party.  Oh and there was just one more, tiny small thing, The Cake!  It had been years since I had done a wedding cake but I figured it would be like riding a bicycle, you know the one, once learned, you never forget, Lol! And after all, they were on a tight budget so needed all the help they could get.
Well Christmas came and went like a flash and some sad family circumstances had put everything for the wedding on hold.
With three weeks to go I had a lot on my ‘to do’ list.
The Jewellery was first up. Five necklace and bracelet sets finished with sterling silver.  Freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystal AB bi-cones for the bridesmaids.  Freshwater pearls and emerald Swarovski crystal rondelles for Josey, to match her

engagement ring.
Next were the buttonholes.  Wired crystals with little foam roses and peacock feathers.  I used two feathers and three large crystals for the ladies to make them more of a statement.
The bouquets were next.  All manner of crystal and pearl brooches, earrings and rings, some bought and some scavenged from jewellery boxes across the family.  We even had some sent from South Africa.
These were wired and then placed with foam roses to make up the bouquets.  I made small ones for the bridesmaids and a large one for Josey with a centre heart hosting their initials.  When the final ribbon was added for Josey’s bouquet, a couple of pieces of her nana’s jewellery were tied in too, to make it extra special.
So now it was just over a week to the wedding and there was the small matter of a cake.  It was fine I wasn’t panicking, honest!  The cake itself was made and ready to go (provided by a very kind person who knew I needed assistance and who wishes to remain anonymous, you know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my heart), it was just a matter of the decorating it. Eeeek!
With several very deep breaths taken I made a ‘C’ and a ‘J’ with royal icing and put them in a safe place to dry (at this point my house didn’t really have any safe places left).  I then set about covering the cakes with marzipan.
Once I had done the marzipan it was time for the icing.  Oh how I love fondant, beautiful, wonderful, forgiving fondant.
We had bought a piece of lace with roses on and once I had rolled out the icing, I rolled the lace into it to leave the delicate pattern behind.  This could only be seen close up so did not show too well on the photograph however I assure you it is there.
Now it was a case of constructing the cake using dowel rods, adding the pearls, roses and peacock feathers.
I made a posy for the top of the cake to mirror the bouquets and attached the feathers to the cake using royal icing.
The ‘C’ and ‘J’ were placed on the middle cake with a diamante between.
Just photo’s to take and the list was finally complete.
Nothing like cutting it fine.
So the wedding has been and gone.  It was a wonderful day and God even sent us beautiful white confetti from the sky on the morning.  By two o’clock, when the wedding began, the snow had disappeared, it was dry and the newlyweds were driven to the reception in an open top Vintage Morris Minor that had been provided by some very dear friends, just lovely.
To finish the Fairytale off, Chris and Josey went to South Africa for their honeymoon where they rode elephants, went on safari and visited one of the biggest craft events in the area.  I am not jealous, honest!

 

 

 

Editors note: I know Sally very well and have to say that she put in a huge effort getting everything ready for the wedding, but I’m sure you will agree that she did a fabulous job. There was actually a lot more that she did that she hasn’t owned up to here. ;) All of us at Creative Crafting wish Chris and Josey a wonderful life together and are sure that they appreciate the hard work put in by a very proud mother of the groom. 

 

Custom glass - for the obsessed, fascinated or just plain gorgeous!

Published in Issue 21, February 2013

Written by Sally from The Bead Bounty

www.thebeadbounty.weebly.com

Custom glass - for the obsessed, fascinated or just plain gorgeous!

Why buy ‘off the shelf’ when you can have custom designed so easily?

For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination for glass. I love it’s many and varied colours and the ways in which it can be formed and manipulated to create wonderful objects from the practical to the decadent.
When I was a youngster I remember visiting the Victoria and Albert museum in London on a trip from boarding school and the one thing that sticks with me from that visit, is the glass that they had on display. I remember being mesmerised by its beauty. I even bought a post card with a picture of a gorgeous red glass goblet I had seen, as a reminder of the experience. The post card is, of course, long gone but my memory of that stunning goblet is as vivid as ever.
I have even earlier memories of my joy and delight where glass is concerned.
My family moved quite a lot and one of the houses we lived in for a short time near the Pennine hills in England, before we crossed the pond to Africa, had the most spectacular stained glass arched window. It reached from the cellar to the fourth storey attic and when the sun hit it, it cast the most beautiful colours down the stairs and hall ways. At only seven years old, I can remember being awestruck on more than one occasion when I saw the light dancing and bathing everything, including me, with the most glorious rainbow of colours.
As a designer I love to produce original one of a kind pieces of art work and over the years I have tried every craft that has been available to me, but never found anything that truly fulfilled the thing that I was obviously looking for. I came close once with pottery. The way glazes melt under extreme heat fascinates me and with my wheel and kiln, I have made many a pot that has had an amazing finish to it, but even that did not hit the spot, so to speak.

Five years ago on the 14th of February, having spent many years making jewellery, I decided to go for broke and set up “The Bead Bounty”. The concept was to bring glass beads, bead making products and handcrafted designer jewellery to the public. After a short time I became frustrated by the lack of quality and the fact that the beads were mass-produced and too commonly available. I decided to do something about it and learned the art of Lamp work bead making. The skills I had acquired over the years helped and once I bought the equipment I needed, I started to produce good quality beads I could put my own designs into. I had finally found the thing I had been looking for.
I was now able to offer my customers one off, good quality originals, that only they could own. A whole new world opened up.

I started to receive orders for bespoke pieces of jewellery.
One customer saw the beads on a bracelet I had made and ordered a large Hole European style bead for a silver bracelet in that design.
I have had Order requests for jewellery to go with prom, wedding and special occasion dresses.
One lady even requested a bracelet to match her team colour at school. One of the pieces I am currently working on is a child’s bracelet with pink and blue beads. The mother wants her daughter to have a keepsake that she can treasure forever and that will be unique to her.

The beauty of Lamp Work is that I can produce, within reason, any style or colour of bead that is requested.
One of the most exciting requests I have had was to make a full range of jewellery for a local museum, to accompany an exhibit that they were about to put on show. A Saxon Princesses grave had been un-earthed at Loftus in North Yorkshire and was the first Saxon Royalty to be found in England. The museum wanted to have jewellery to sell to mirror the colours of the main gold and garnet pendant that had been found in the dig.
I produced many pieces of jewellery for the museum and named it “The Princess Collection” as my name means Princess.
I never know from one day to the next what exciting ideas my customers will come up with and ask me to produce for them. That is one of the true pleasures of my job.
As well as making the beads into jewellery I also produce beads for the customer to make into their very own one of a kind pieces.

Which ever pieces I sell, be it ready made jewellery, bespoke items or loose beads, I feel greatly privileged that people part with hard earned cash to purchase my products.
There is no feeling like it and I would like to thank customers past, present and future for their appreciation of just what an amazing art lamp work is.
It is a joy when people understand that they are purchasing something truly unique.

Beaded Bead Necklace

Published in Issue 21, February 2013

Written by Sally from The Bead Bounty

Beaded Bead Necklace 

You will need

Beading thread

Beading needle

Size 11 seed beads

Size 6 seed beads

Scissors

A clasp if you wish to add one, but this necklace works well as a continuous piece that just slips over the head. 

Method

Step 1. Thread the needle with approximately 2mt beading thread and pick up 3 size 6 beads.  Pass them down the thread and leave a 6” tail.  (This will be used to tie off the necklace later).

Steps 2 & 3. Pick up 2 size 11 beads, 1 size 6 bead and 2 size 11 beads and pass the needle through the first 3 size 6 beads to create a loop .

Steps 4 - 7. Pick up another 2 size 11, 1 size 6 and 2 size 11 beads and pass the needle through the first 3 size 6 beads again to create another loop.

Repeat this process until you have 7 bead loops with the original 3 beads at their centre.  This is your first beaded bead.

Step 8. Pick up 10 size 11, 1 size 6 and 10 size 11 seed beads.

Step 9. Now start a new bead by repeating steps 1-7 and making sure that you keep the first 3 size 6 beads tight up against the 10 size 11 beads so that no thread is showing.  Add another four beads in this way so that you have 6 beaded beads with bead strings in between. 

Step 10. At this point for the necklace shown, I added 7 beaded beads with 1 size 6 bead in between each one to give a central focal point.

You can continue to add beads and bead strings for an even longer necklace. 

Tie the ends together and thread the ends through several beads to tidy them up. I always run a second thread through the length of the necklace to add strength. (Just make sure that you have the same spaces between the beaded beads)

To make it the same way as I did, only do four beads at point 6 instead of 6 and add a clasp. 

My necklace measures approximately 20 inches long (you will need to add an extra 10 size 11, 1 size 6 and 10 size 11 seed beads to each end to keep it even before you add the clasp). Either way will give you a very attractive and pretty necklace to wear or to give as a gift.

Christmas Angel Ornament

Published in Issue 20, December 2012

Written by Sally - Jo from The Bead Bounty

www.thebeadbounty.com

Christmas Angel Ornament 

This sweet little ornament that measures approximately 3 and a half inches from head to toe, will make a great gift, or a pretty addition to your own Christmas tree.

You will need
10g of good quality size 8 seed beads
1 x 8-10mm facetted oval crystal bead for the head
2 x 15-16mm dagger beads for the feet
2 x 6mm drop beads for the hands
2 x flower beads for the cuffs
1 x 14mm decorative bead cap for the head
21 x 6mm twisted bugle for the legs
Waxed beading thread (i.e. Nymo)
Bead needle
Scissors
Bead mat or good surface for working with small beads

Instructions

Step 1. With approximately 1 metre of thread on needle pick up 2 size 8 seed beads and position them on the thread with about a 6 inch tail remaining. 

Step 2 & 3. Pass the needle back through the beads and position the beads alongside each other with the holes showing.

Step 4 & 5. Pick up another bead and pass the needle through the previous bead and then back up through the newly added bead.
Pick up another bead and add it in the same way making sure that each bead sits alongside the last with the hole showing (this is called Ladder stitch)

Step 6. Keep adding beads in the same way until you have a row of 15 beads.

Step 7 & 8. Second row - Pick up a bead and pass the needle through the thread between the first two beads on the previous row and then back up through the new bead. This bead should now sit, with its hole showing, between the first two beads on row one.

Step 9 & 10. Pick up another bead and pass the needle through the thread between the next two beads on row one and then back up through the newly added bead. This bead should sit alongside the first bead with its hole showing.

Step 11. Continue to add beads in the same way until you have 14 beads. This is called Brick stitch.

Step 12. Row 3 add 13 beads, row 4 add 12 beads, row 5 add 11 beads etc. Continue to add rows, decreasing by one bead each row until you add the last bead at row 15 and you have created a triangle. 

Leave the excess thread to use again later in the pattern. Repeat steps 1-8 to make a second triangle.

Step 13 - 18 Sew the two triangles together down each side by going up 2 beads at one side and down 1 at the other making sure to keep them in line with each other. Leave the bottom open.

Step 19 - 21. Attach the head by picking up the facetted bead, bead cap and a seed bead. Pass the needle back down through the bead cap and facetted bead bypassing the seed bead as this acts as the anchor for the head. Pull the thread tight so that the beads sit snugly next to the triangle and pass the needle through several beads to fasten it off. You can add some thread or thin ribbon to the seed bead at the top of the head later to hang the ornament from your tree.

Step 22. For the wings, bring an anchored thread out of the middle bead on the 4th row down from the head, pick up 16 beads and secure them in a circle. Pick up another 16 beads and anchor them at the other side making a figure of eight.

Step 23 - 25. For the arms, bring an anchored thread from the side of the triangle where you want the arms to start, pick up 1 seed, 1 twisted bugle, 1 seed, 1 twisted bugle, 1 flower bead as a cuff and a drop bead as a hand.

Pass the needle back up through all of the beads except the drop as this acts as anchor. In the same way as the head, pull the thread tight so that the beads sit snugly against the triangle. Pass the needle through several beads on the triangle so that the thread emerges at the opposite side to add the second arm and repeat for the 2nd arm.

Step 26 - 27. Bringing a secure thread from the inside top of the triangle pick up 4 twisted bugle, 1 seed, 4 twisted bugle, 1 seed and 1 dagger bead. Pass the needle back up all except the dagger (this acts as the anchor) and pull the beads up tightly to the top of the triangle and secure. Pass the needle back down inside the triangle and repeat for the 2nd leg but this time add 5 twisted bugle beads instead of 4 in the first group, this makes the 2nd leg a little longer than the first.


Please note: This is a very versatile little ornament. You can hang it from your tree, sit it on your mantle piece or wear it as jewellery i.e. a brooch or necklace.


If you wish to purchase the bead kit at £6.95 (which includes all the beads with needle and thread to make 1 ornament) please visit www.thebeadbounty.com. When you purchase the kit the pattern will be sent digitally via email. 

Make a Crystal Band Watch with Tassle

Published in Issue 19, October 2012

Written by Sally-Jo from The Bead Bounty

www.thebeadbounty.co.uk

This piece was inspired by the beautiful colours of autumn and is perfect for the party season ahead.

Supplies

Approximately 56 Crystals for the bracelet (I have used 4.5mm x 5.5mm doughnut beads)

7 x 4mm contrasting bi-cone Crystals for the tassel and chain dangle

Size 11 seed beads for the tassel

2 x wire protectors

2 x 4-5mm jump rings

1 x eye pin

1 x head pin

1 x clasp

1 x 50mm piece of chain

1 x 12mm end cone

2 x 50cm lengths of fishing/fire line

Beading needle and beading thread

Glue or clear nail varnish

Scissors

Round/Flat and side cutter pliers

A beaders watch face 

Beads and watch face used produced a 7 and a half inch band.

Step 1. With the first piece of fishing/fire line, thread on a wire protector and position it at the centre of the thread

Step 2. Thread on first crystal crossing the threads through the bead hole and positioning the bead centrally to the wire protector.

Step 3. Pick up 2 beads on one thread and 1 bead on the other thread. 

Step 4. Pass the thread with the one bead on through the second bead on the first thread so that the threads cross again and pull the threads tight.Step 5. Continue this process until you have added 28 beads in all.

Step 6. Pass the threads, one through each side, through the hole on the watch.  

Step 7. Pass the threads through the first bead on the strap and then back through the hole on the watch and once more through the first bead on the strap.

Step 8. Run the threads back through the length of the strap in the same way as before with the threads immerging at the same place just above the wire protector.  

Step 9. Tie a good knot and add a dab of strong glue or nail varnish.

Step 10. Run the extra thread up through several beads, tying knots as you go and adding glue then cut off excess.  Repeat the above for the other side of the strap.

Step 11. Add a 4mm bi-cone crystal to the head pin.

Step 12. Bend the pin to a 45 degree angle.

Step 13. Shorten the wire to approximately 6-8mm with wire cutters.

Step 14. Using the round nose pliers, make a loop.

Step 15. Attach the loop to one end of the 50 mm chain.

Step 16. Attach the other end of the chain to one end of the bracelet.

Step 17. Using a jump ring, add the clasp to the other end.

Step 18. Thread the bead needle with approximately 50cm of thread and tie one end to the loop of your eye pin.

Step 19. Pick up 20 size 11 seed beads.

Step 20. Pick up 1 4mm bicone crystal and 1 seed bead.

Step 21. Pass the needle back up through the crystal and pull the thread so that the crystal meets the seed beads.

Step 22. Now pass the needle up through the 20 seed beads and the loop on the eye pin. Please read N.B below before you continue with 23.

Step 23. Repeat this process 5 more times and tie the two ends of the thread together. Add a dab of glue and trim the excess thread. 

N.B I have done 2 strands with 20 seed beads, 2 with 22 seed beads and 2 with 24 seed beads but you can do them all with 20 if you wish and you can also do them shorter if you feel that the tassel is too long for you.

Step 24. Put the bead cone on to the wire of the eye pin and over the top of the seed beads. Now repeat step 12 – 14 above to make the loop for your tassel.

Step 25. Using the second jump ring, attach the tassel to the Watch Band.

Create a Dragonfly Pendant

Published in issue 18, August 2012

Written by Sally-Jo from The Bead Bounty

Perfect to go with your summer wardrobe, this pretty little Dragonfly pendant will fit right in.

What You will need

4 x Dagger Beads, plain or patterned (approximately 16 mm)

Size 11 Seed Beads 

5 x 4 mm Facetted Beads

1 x Head Pin

Bead Needle

Beading Thread

Sharp Scissors

Flat nose pliers

Round nose pliers

Instructions

Step 1. Thread needle with approximately 20” of beading thread. Pick up 2 seed beads, 1 dagger, 1 seed bead, 1 dagger, 4 seed beads, 1 dagger, 1 seed bead, 1 dagger and 2 seed beads. Step 2. Tie the two ends of the cotton in a tight knot.

N.B.  If you are using daggers with a pattern or coating make sure that they are all facing the same way.

  

Step 3. Add the head bead.  Pick up 1 seed bead, 1 facetted bead, and 10 seed beads.

Step 4. Pass the needle back through the facetted bead and the single seed bead and tie another tight knot.

Step 5. Pass the needle back down through all the beads to emerge at the second of the 4 bead group at the bottom of the body of the Dragonfly.

Step 6. Repeat with the second thread going through the opposite beads and tie the threads in a knot.

Neaten the threads off by passing them through several 

Beads and cutting off the excess.

Step 7. On the head pin, pick up 4 facetted beads with seed beads either side.

Step 8. Using a pair of flat nose pliers, bend the wire at the top of the beads to a right angle and cut the excess wire leaving approximately 8 mm.

Step 9. Make a loop with a pair of round nose pliers.

Step 10. Open the loop and attach it to the bottom of the Dragonfly body to form the tail. Close the loop.

The Earrings shown in the picture were made in exactly the same way as the pendant but I used smaller daggers (approximately 10 mm) size 15 seed beads and 3 mm facetted beads instead.